After Daphne Bowers raised concerns about ice-covered side roads in Pacquet, the Department of Transportation and Works came to the rescue.
On Tuesday, The Telegram published a story after Pacquet fire chief Jodie Matthews sent photos of her aunt, 72-year-old Daphne Bowers, out with her own shovel putting sand on municipal roads. The roads had been caked with ice for the previous two weeks, and Bowers said the Department of Transportation and Works could not clear the roads.
Bowers says that on Tuesday morning a grader and a crew came to the 164-person town on the Baie Verte Peninsula and cleared the side streets of ice.
“I say they must have been on my lane for half an hour,” said Bowers.
“I tell you, after that was all done, I looked out and said, ‘My glory, I didn’t know my road was that wide before. I was so overjoyed with it. I was relieved.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Works said the roads in Pacquet are owned by the town, but part of regular snowclearing practices for department workers.
“The side roads in the town of Pacquet are owned and maintained by the town but are part of our regular snowclearing operations due to a winter maintenance agreement,” read the statement.
“The road known as Bowers Lane is steep and narrow which makes for clearing of this road more difficult for our larger snowplows in very icy conditions. The department made an attempt to sand the road, however, the plow truck was unable to get up the hill.”
The department says new strategies are being looked at for ice-clearing in the area.
“The town requested that we provide sand for its own use, which we did on two occasions,” continued the statement.
“The department is evaluating options for deploying a smaller piece of snowclearing equipment that can regularly service some of the narrower and steeper side roads in the community when icy conditions like those seen this week develop.”
Bowers says she is not one to complain, but she’s thankful to the department for its quick response to her concerns.
Twitter: @DavidMaherNL
